Steam-trap.



Patented Aug. I, |899. J. W. NASMITH.

STEAM TRAP.

(Application ilud Dec. B, 1898,)

(No Model.)

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WTNESEES:

UNTTED STATES a PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN VILLIAM NASMITH, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

S T EA M T RA P SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.630,089, dated August 1, 1899.

Application filed December 8,1898. Serial No'. 698,615. (No model.)v

T0 a/ZZ whom, it 71ML?! concern:

Be it known that LJoHN WILLIAM NAsMiTH, of Manchester, in the county ofLancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSteam-Traps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement on the steam-trap shown in UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 608,384, granted to Victor Aim Prost August 2,1898, said trap comprising a water-receptacle, a conduit for steam andwa` ter entering the said receptacle and having an outlet therein, afloat having a vertical movement in the receptacle and inclosing saidoutlet, a valve located within the float and adapted to open and closethe outlet, and devices which cooperate with the float to operate thevalve when said float rises and falls. In the trap shown in this patentthe valve was carried at the lower end of a screw, and the iioat inrising and falling was caused to rotate in order to operate this screw,and thereby seat and unseat the valve. The necessary mechanism incidentto this arrangement op* erated with considerable friction and wouldsometimes impair the perfect working of the trap.

It is the object of the present invention to reduce this friction andalso to provide a compact valve operating mechanism inclosed within themovable float.

The invention consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed todescribe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figurel represents a vertical sectional view of a steam-trap constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged detail viewof the valve and connections with parts broken away. Fig. 3 represents aview similar to Fig. 1, showing the valve in an open position. Fig.represents aview similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification.

The same'i'eference characters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a conduit which receives waterand steam from a boiler or system of piping through a suit- When thevalve is open, matter passing through the outlet a escapes into therecep tacle c.

e represents a chamber or fioat adapted to rise and fall in thereceptacle c, said float be- .A

ing closed at its upper end and open at its lower end.

g represents an annular yoke or nozzle in which the outlet a is located,said yoke being formed with upwardly-projecting ears g' g' on eitherside of the valve d, and at the top of said ears, pivoted to studs f f',are levers ff, diverging toward opposite sides of the float e. At theirinner ends said levers are loosely engaged with pins f3, projectinglaterally from blocks f8, Fig. 2, which operate in a circumferentiallgroove formed in a block d. The latter is internally threaded andengaged with the threaded valve-stem cl2, being adjustable thereon toallow for wear and locked in place by means of a lock-nut d3. The outerends of the levers ff are pivotally connected with levers f4 f4, whichare crossed at their middle points and pivotally connected ther-eat, andthe said levers f4 are in turn pivoted or connected at their upper endsWith a third set of levers f5 f5, which are pivoted at f6 to a boss e2,bolted to the top of the float e. The whole series of levers forms whatare commonly 'known as lazy tongs, which when extended will cause adownward movement of the valve toward its seat. Vhen the said lazy-tongsare contracted or 'flattened out, the valve is raised from its seat. Itwill readily be seen that the up-and-down Inovement of` the float e willproduce such eXtension and contraction of the lazy-tongs and theconsequent operation of the valve.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is as follows: Thereceptacle c must be iirst filled with water up to the level ot' itsoutlet or overflow c. The connection between the conduit a and thepiping or boiler may then be opened and the steamturned on. The fioat ebeing depressed and the valve d consequently open, the air which isdriven before the steam escapes from the conduit a ICO into the floatand receptacle c through the small valve R in the top of thefloat. Waterfollows the air and is added to the supply already in the receptacle c,causing an overiiow through the outlet c', the water finding its wayunder the lower end of the float c. The water gradually becomes hotterand hotter, heating the vertical portion of the conduit a until by thetime the water in immediate contact with the steam arrives in the lowerportion of said conduit the water surrounding the vertical portion ofthe conduit is above the boilingpoint and low-pressure steam is givenoff within the float e in sufficient quantity to close the float R andraise the float and close the valve d. The inflow being checked, thetemperature of the water is reduced, and the pressure being reducedwithin the float e the said float falls by its own weight, causing theopening of the valve d and letting more water escape from the conduitinto the receptacle c. These oscillations of the float continue for afew minutes, gradually diminishing in amplitude until the float assumesa fixed position and remains stationary. The whole apparatus is then inequilibrium, the valve d having adjusted itself and regulated the outletof the conduit, soas to just permit under the pressure of the steam,whatever it may be, the outiiow of the water of condensation at the samerate as that at which it forms, neither more nor less being allowed toiow.

It will be seen from the above that the valve-operating mechanism isvery compact, is entirely contained within the float e, and operateswith a minimum of friction to raise and depress the valve.

' the floate.

I do not confine myself to the. particular method shown for transmittingmotion from the levers ff to the valve d. Any other suitable arrangementmay be employed-such as that, for instance, shown in Fig. 4f, whereinthe block d', attached to the valve-stem, is formed with horizontalgear-teeth which mesh with gear-segments f7, formed on the ends of A thelevers f.

Owing to the fact that the lazy-tong levers form the sole means forguiding the float the said iioat rises and falls in a straight line andenables the casing to be constructed very slightly larger than theiioat, thus leaving but a small space between the walls of the iioat andcasing, from which space the water of condensation is quickly expelled,and since the said lazy-tong or lever connections are entirely withinthe float there are no pivotal or other openings in the float to requirepacked joints to prevent escape of steam, which packed joints wouldinterfere with the sensitiveness of the operation of the trap.

I claim-L l. A steam-trap comprising a water-receptacle, a conduit forsteam and water entering said receptacle and having an outlet therein, aoat vertically movable in a straight line within the receptacle andinclosing said outlet, a non-rotary valve located within the float andadapted to open and close the outlet, and a lever pivotally mountedwithin the float having connection with said float and with the valveand adapted to operate the latter when the float moves, the verticalmovements of the float being guided solely by said lever connections.

2. A steam-trap comprising a water-receptacle, a conduit for steam andwater having an outlet in said receptacle, a valve adapted to open andclose said outlet, a float adapted to rise and fall in a straight linein the receptacle and inclosing` said outlet, and lazy-tongs connectingthe valve and float and adapted to close the outlet when the float risesand open the outlet when the float falls, the said lazy-tongs guidingthe iioat in its vertical movements.

8. A steam-trap comprising a water-receptacle, a conduit for steam andwater entering said receptacle and having an outlet therein, a floathaving a vertical movement in a straight line in the receptacle andinclosing said outlet, a valve located within the float and adapted toopen and close said outlet, the levers ff pivoted to a iixed support andengaging the valve, and lazy-tongs connected with said levers and withthe `top of the iloat, whereby the valve is closed by the rising of thefloat and opened by the depression thereof, the said lazy-tongs guidingthe float in its vertical movements.

In testimony whereof l have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN WILLIAM NASMITI-l. l/Vitnesses:

JOHN l?. PARRISH, GEORGE R. DAVIS.

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